Visenya Waters
Visenya Waters, also known as the Black Dragon, was the illegitimate daughter of King Rhaegar I Targaryen and Lady Lyanna Stark, whose affair was the cause for Robert's Uprising. Born in 284AC, she was raised in King's Landing court as a Targaryen in all meaning but by name. She was an accomplished singer, and like her father had an aptitude with the wood harp. In 307AC she bore the twin bastard children of her brother, Prince Aegon Targaryen, and raised them safe from the machinations of court in the Great Sept of Baelor. She became an important figure of House Targaryen in the later years of her life. Appearance Visenya took after her mother in appearance, sporting the Stark resemblance in dark hair and fair skin with a long face. The dragon's blood was apparent in her dark indigo eyes, which were said to glow with fury on the few occasions where she was crossed. Though not a great beauty like her sister, she was noted to be coquettish and witty, with enough courtly graces and kindness to counter for her illegitimacy. In her age, Visenya became a fervent follower of the Faith of the Seven, and took to wearing modest clothing and a star-shaped crystal on a chain around her neck. History Visenya was born at the Tower of Joy toward the end of Robert's Uprising to Lyanna Stark, and escorted to King's Landing by Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. Though the members of the court reviled Lady Lyanna's presence and the bastard child whose conception had begun such a bloody war, King Rhaegar openly acknowledged Visenya as his own daughter, and had great influence over her education in the coming years. Contempt remained between Lady Lyanna and Queen Elia despite Rhaegar's intervention, and following the sentencing of her brother, Lyanna gave up her court life and daughter, choosing instead to return to Winterfell. Visenya never remembered her mother or interacted with her again. Though King Rhaegar raised her with her half-siblings as kindly as he could, it was notable that Queen Elia did not like the constant reminder of her husband's adultery, no matter how kind she tried to be toward the child. Visenya was mostly raised by septas, and was close with both Rhaenys and Aegon, the three of whom could often be found re-enacting the histories of their namesakes with wooden swords and Rhaenys' pet cats. In her later teenage years the occasional proposal of marriage came from various houses of Westeros, but being a bastard child and a girl at that, the offers were never quite good enough for both Visenya and King Rhaegar. When Aegon was married to Lady Margaery Tyrell and Rhaenys to Lord Renly Baratheon, Visenya remained by her father's side. Though by all reports Aegon's marriage was healthy and happy, following the cradle death of his first son, the crown Prince sought solace in Visenya's bed. The two kept their affair quiet for some time, but Lady Margaery grew furious at the public embarrassment, and established herself in King's Landing court with many knights of valour and ladies-in-waiting who refused to associate with the bastard Targaryen. When Visenya fell pregnant by Aegon, she fled the Red Keep at the advice of her father King Rhaegar, taking sanctuary at the Great Sept of Baelor away from Lady Margaery's influence and possible subterfuge. Mother of Bastards In 307AC Visenya gave birth to twin children in the Great Sept, a boy named Maekar, and a girl named Rhaella for the late Queen. Both the children survived multiple assassination attempts on their lives before their fifth nameday, causing Visenya great stress and paranoia. The twins were raised in the Sept, and left only under the protection of hired swords their mother had procured. Maekar was an avid sailor, becoming fast friends with the Heir to Driftmark in his youth. Rhaella was zealous in her faith to the Seven, and in 332AC was escorted by her brother and a small guard to join the Faith as a Septa in Oldtown. Visenya continued to intervene in King's Landing court as a member of the royal family, much to the disdain of Lady Margaery, whose children born in 307 and 308AC were small and weak compared to Maekar and Rhaella. In her older age, Visenya became a shrewd political player of King's Landing. It was obvious that Prince Aelor was not the ideal heir to the Iron Throne; he had little aptitude for knightly valour, and grew anti-social and hateful toward the court of his father. In 325AC when King Rhaegar and his queen passed away, Visenya was not the only member of the family who sought to take more control of young Aelor, though his mother's influence and that of a priest of the Red God named Alequo had been too strong, and the difficult prince rebuffed any of Visenya's kindnesses with contempt and anger. Battle of Fire and Faith Aegon VI Targaryen reigned for only a short number of years before dying at sea with his Queen, crossing the Narrow Sea after visiting Pentos for a diplomatic negotiation in 332AC. The effect of the King and Queen's unexpected deaths was immediate, when Prince Aelor demanded the burning of the Great Sept of Baelor to honour the passing of a dragon. Visenya's response was immediate and furious, calling for the re-arming of the Faith Militant to defend the Sept from the warriors of R'hllor, named the Fiery Hand. Ultimately the Faith Militant were outnumbered, and half of the Great Sept of Baelor succumbed to Aelor's flames. The response of the common people in King's Landing was not unlike Visenya's, though the royal family had barricaded themselves within the Red Keep, guarded by the City Watch who remained. Visenya sent word of the unfolding events to Maekar and Rhaella in Oldtown, only days before being captured and held hostage inside the Maidenvault of the Red Keep. Though Maekar was successful in his endeavour, eventually defeating his half-brother's attempts to defile the Faith of the Seven, Visenya's imprisonment in the Maidenvault had changed her forever. Later Years Visenya's paranoia and stress had caught up to her at an early age, often keeping to herself within the Red Keep. Her children were legitimised by the High Septon, and after Maekar's marriage to Princess Daena, the last of Aegon's trueborn children, the religion of the Red God was effectively banned from King's Landing. Visenya lived long enough to witness the birth of her first grandchildren before succumbing to her age in 367AC. Family Tree * King Rhaegar I Targaryen (b. 259AC, d. 325AC), and his lover, Lady Lyanna Stark (b. 267AC) ** Their illegitimate daughter, Visenya Waters (b. 284AC, d. 367AC) *** King Maekar II Targaryen (b. 307AC), and his wife, Queen Daena Targaryen (b. 310AC) **** Their children *** Lady Rhaella Targaryen (b. 307AC), and her husband, Lord Lannister Category:House Targaryen Category:Valyrians Category:Lore Characters Category:Deceased Characters